Pam – Page 118 – New England's Narrow Road

Packing and Selling and Downsizing – Again

In 2005 I did a big move from Florida to New Hampshire. That was not fun. In 2007 I moved out of my nice house into a rental in Hopkinton. (Long, unhappy story) It was the beginning of my life as a renter again after 25 years of owning my own home. In 2008 I moved to a 3-story condo in Bennington – well almost. Almost all my things were moved into it, but then it flooded, from the top floor down, when a bathroom sprung a leak. It was unlivable and this was one week before I was to live there.

The property manager who was renting the place to me found me another temporary place (a small camp-type house with a composting toilet) where we lived for one month, but realizing that the water damage would take a long time to fix, I decided not to wait and ultimately found the duplex to rent where I have lived for the past three years.
Now I am moving into a home of my own and this move is a very happy one for me, but there is so much to take care of and lots more downsizing to do. My wood stove that sits in the basement here won’t fit in the small fireplace of my new place so I have to sell it.

I put up flyers in town, but truthfully I don’t think anyone wants to even think about winter and wood stoves at this time of year, so I have my doubts about selling it.

** The guy from the Heat is On stove shop was suppose to take my stove and put it up for consignment. He came by my house but didn’t have the right vehicle to take the stove. He and his friend left to get a van – and NEVER RETURNED. They didn’t even call to tell me they had decided not to take it – nothing! So he has lost a customer. And I love to support the “little guy” and small business, but I will not be buying my next stove from him.

I have to go pack.

I May Be Moving To A HOME! (newenglandsnarrowroad.wordpress.com)
Wood Burning Stoves for a Winter Ready Kitchen (moneysupermarket.com)

The Shed Is Gone

One of the few things you can count on is the fact that life is always changing. It changes more and faster for some people than for others, but change is inevitable.

I was looking at my banner on this page and remembering the old man who owned that little shed that is shown at the end of the road in my photo. I only met him a couple of times and he was hard to talk to because he was very deaf, but the last time I spoke with him was on his birthday and he was 92 (I think he said). Shortly after that he had some sort of medical problem and ended up in a nursing home and later died. His little house went up for sale and was bought up quickly.

I never knew what that little shed was used for but it stood in a small grassy area with lots of blackberry bushes behind it and a bear once startled the neighbor kids when they were picking berries there for their mom. One day when I was out walking I noticed that it was gone. So the shed is gone and so is the man who owned it.

I’ve been renting in this area for almost three years and many of the houses on the road have changed hands. My son’s best friends who lived at the Girl Scout Camp for one season left to go back to Tennessee and I’ve never met the new family who took over as caretakers. Another family split up and lost their home and it’s now up for sale. Two other very nice homes on the this dirt road have also sold.

Anyway, things are always changing and soon I won’t be living here any more. I’ve taken lots of photos of the area in all seasons and it is a beautiful place, but I never felt like I belonged. That is how renting makes me feel. I will miss the lake and my walks in this wilderness, but I won’t miss the beach traffic of summer and the logging trucks in winter. We will come back so my son can swim this summer with his friends and I’ll bring a bag to pick the blueberries that grow along the lake road.

We’ll have all the changes to deal with in moving to a new place like meeting the new neighbors and finding new places to take walks, but I am looking forward to those changes because I will once again be a home-owner and that is what I’ve been waiting a long time for.

Hike A Little Mountain With a Big View

view of mountains — View From The Top of Pitcher Mountain

I don’t remember how I learned about Pitcher Mountain, but it is one of my favorite places to hike. It’s not a long way to the top from the parking lot, so most everyone would be able to do this hike. It does get a bit steep, with rocks to navigate near the top. Follow the trail to the right, which is a dirt road until you reach the edge of the pasture, then you will be on a steeper trail.

The pasture area is part of the Pitcher Mountain Farm located in Stoddard, New Hampshire. You will pass it on Rt. 123 heading west toward the small parking area for hiking. Blueberry bushes cover the top and it can get quite busy during July and August when berry picking is best. There is a money box in the parking area for donations at that time of year.

fire tower on Pitcher Mountain — Fire Tower at the Top

There is a fire tower on the rocky top and other trails to follow back down through the woods. They won’t have the nice views you’ll see by the pasture, but if you want to extend your hike, follow the trail markers out across the blueberry field toward a pole and then go down that path that leads through the woods. It comes out at a road where you will turn left and walk back to the parking lot. It’s a cool walk down after a hot day of picking (and eating) berries.

Companion Planting For an Interesting Garden

It seems that I was just getting started in my New England garden when I had to leave it. I still visit it in pictures I took in the summer of 2006 and this is one I came across recently.

When we moved into our new home in the northeast we had some of our old schoolmates over to celebrate and one of them brought a Rose of Sharon plant. It was so beautiful with the variegated leaves that it didn’t need to bloom to decorate the garden landscape, but when it did, it produced little pinkish purple flowers (I think).

At some point I added Morning Glory seeds to the garden and the vine wrapped around the Rose of Sharon and when the Morning Glory bloomed it gave the impression that the Rose of Sharon had blue flowers. A pretty effect.

Morning Glory flowers can be beautiful shades of blue, just like the hydrangea, but their flowers only last a day. They will have to be planted each year after the danger of frost – which isn’t until June 1st up here in New Hampshire, so starting them indoors is a good idea. I didn’t realize the importance of starting seeds indoors when I first moved here from Florida.

The vine of the Morning Glory will climb just about anything so plant it near shrubs or even a dead, branching stick stuck into the ground to add interest to the garden.